—ABOUT THE BOOK: Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's or Other Dementia recounts my unexpected and heart-wrenching journey as the primary caregiver for my aging grandparents who both developed dementia. I loved my grandparents and did my best to help them, but I was young and naïve, and my journey could rightly be described as the proverbial "trial by fire." Years later, a little older and a little wiser, I would walk a different version of this path again with my parents, but I discovered I still had a lot to learn. Through it all, God has directed my path and covered my weaknesses with His grace, and I believe that perhaps He allowed me to walk this journey so that I might be a help to others.
With this context in mind, I began to consider everything I wish I had known before starting my journey as a caregiver for my loved ones with Alzheimer's. I coupled my experiences with more than a year's worth of research about best practices for caregivers and where to get resources and help. And now, with the help of my publisher, I've compiled everything I learned into three publications that I hope will make your journey as a caregiver better for you and your loved ones:
1) An online course. This course is perfect for the person who wants to learn as much as they can using an easy to navigate lesson structure with active links to more information. The course is best viewed on a PC or tablet and requires an internet connection.
2) An unabridged eBook that can be purchased and downloaded from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other places. This eBook is perfect for those on the go who like reading on their smartphone or tablet. The eBook edition contains all the same information as the course, but it is presented in the familiar eBook format with live links to many sources for help and additional learning.
3) A Quick Reference Guide offered as an eBook with a link to a printable PDF of the same material. This brief guide includes an abridged version of material used in the course and the unabridged eBook. This guide focuses on the essential points that you need right now, but it has many links so you can learn more on any topic of immediate interest.
This topic is very personal to me, and I've written these publications as though I'm talking with my close friend about many things I wish I had known when I started to care for my grandparents and later my parents. I'm not a lawyer or a counselor or a medical professional. I am an experienced Alzheimer's/dementia caregiver—I've walked this thing out. So let's, you and me, engage in an open, honest conversation about this great blessing, this dreadful mantle: the tidy mess of caregiving.
